Should This Dog Be Medicated?

Filed under: Luncheonette, Sound Off

If you felt lonely or blue, they used to tell you to get a dog. Now, if your pet's acting out of sorts, they might tell you to put it on a behavior-modifying drug.

That's the story James Vlahos reports in Sunday's New York Times Magazine. Vlahos told us all about it on the show today, including some amazing case studies.

For now, we bring you a case study from YouTube.

Laura Conaway

11:53 AM ET | 07-11-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

Is This 'Dancing' Video Real?

Filed under: Sound Off

The New York Times today has a piece about this YouTube "Dancing" video that's been burning up the interwebs the last few months. I think some of these shots, especially the ones in the less accessible locations, look like they're faked in front of a green screen. What do you think?

Dan Pashman

8:36 AM ET | 07- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Does Parenting Equal Depression?

Filed under: Sound Off

Bundle of joy. Or not

iStockPhoto.com

On the show today, we heard from a researcher who told us most parents report being happier when they go grocery shopping than when they spend time with their kids.

"We don't have family-friendly policies," says Robin Simon, a sociologist at Florida State University. "We don't allow people, I believe, as a society to reap the full joys of parenthood."

Amen to that. When you live in a nation of hour-long commutes, heavy workweeks and paid maternity leaves of a few weeks (if you're lucky), who could be surprised that parents are desperate for the freedom of a simple trip to the store?

Laura Conaway

1:50 PM ET | 07- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (42) | e-mail post

Do Rainbow Folks Actually Hurt National Forests?

Filed under: Sound Off

Click to watch.

Photos courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service

 

This morning on the BPP, we spoke to a U.S. Forest Service official who's in charge of monitoring the yearly festival of the Rainbow Family, an anti-establishment, pro-environmental group.

"I don't think we question their love of the land, which is very similar to ours," said John Twiss, our guest from the Forest Service. "I think what we question the most is the way they gather."

Twiss says the group leaves large amounts of trash and bring other problems you'd expect from gatherings of thousands and thousands of people on remote federal lands.

The Rainbow Family's own website puts it this way: "Some say we're the largest non-organization of non-members in the world. We have no leaders, and no organization."

Paul Hechinger

9:54 AM ET | 07- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Getting Guns Out Of The Closet

Filed under: Sound Off

Americans have carried guns in open holsters since frontier days. This revolver dates back to the 1870s.

Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images

Today, the BPP spoke to a leader of the "open carry" gun movement. Followers say it's all about openly displaying guns, where people can see them. John Pierce, founder of OpenCarry.org likens it to the gay rights movement.

"One of the reasons we make that comparison," he says, "is that open carry is really gun ownership coming out of the closet."

Pierce argues that a stigma has attached to gun ownership, which he says is really "a wholesome and responsible activity." If more people understood that, he says, the stigma would go away.

Paul Hechinger

1:42 PM ET | 07- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (29) | e-mail post

Help, Please: Find the Double Entendres

Filed under: Sound Off

People, I need your help. Today on our show, author Tony Perrottet talked about his new book, Napoleon's Privates.

Yes, Perrottet has seen the member in question, and yes, he told us exactly what it looked like. But that was only three-quarters of the segment. The rest was a stunning parade of double entendres.

And that's what I need you for. Listen to the interview above, find a double entendre and drop it into the comments. There's a limit of one per person. First come, first served. Keep it clean. I'm trusting you.

Laura Conaway

9:11 AM ET | 07- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (14) | e-mail post

Open Thread: A Case of School Phobia

Filed under: Sound Off

iStockPhoto.com

At some point, most of us have hidden behind our parents at the classroom door. Rebecca Maykish, now 17, remembers her mother prying her off a banister at the age of five.

But for Maykish, of Palmerton, Pa., the terror never stopped. She was eventually diagnosed with school phobia, a condition that renders time in a classroom so miserable that she says she feels like she's having a heart attack.

Her family won a settlement from the district to pay for her public education. The Maykishes spent $45,000 special fund on what they call a variety of instructional and therapeutic expenses. Some of those expenses included summer camp and a modeling class, but mother Barbara Maykish says the idea was always to build stepping stones back to regular class. The saga gets complicated from there, but today the district is fining the family for Rebecca's truancy, and the family is seeking a civil rights lawyer.

And we're seeking your reaction. Ever heard of school phobia? Ever had it? Got an answer for this situation?

Laura Conaway

10:08 AM ET | 07- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (30) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Obama Poster Likened to Hitler's

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Click to play.

Alex Pardee

 

On today's show, Steve Seidman, chair of the strategic communication department at Ithaca College, talked about the iconography of Democrat Barack Obama.

Seidman says some of the campaign's posters remind him of images from history. He argues the "Dream" poster, which shows Obama with a halo, might offend some religious people. But it was this bit that got our Twitter crowd going:

"He's gazing into the distance, almost like a visionary. This is a common approach I've noticed in my research. I would say that I've seen Nixon posters, Carter posters, George Bush -- the second Bush -- posters, even Adolf Hitler. Posters in his election campaigns in Germany have shown him gazing into the distance."

Judge for yourself: Google Images for "Hitler election posters"

Laura Conaway

7:49 AM ET | 06-30-2008 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

Where Do You Stand on the Court's Gun Decision?

Filed under: Sound Off

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Washington, D.C.'s ban on handguns is unconstitutional. Today the nation's best-known liberal and conservative editorial pages weighed in. After the jump, read what they said and tell us what you think...

Continue reading "Where Do You Stand on the Court's Gun Decision?" »

Dan Pashman

11:07 AM ET | 06-27-2008 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

Open Thread: On the 'Juno' Effect

Filed under: Luncheonette, Sound Off

On our show today, journalism professor Jane Brown took on the "Juno Effect" -- the idea that movies about unexpected pregnancy may encourage very young women to become mothers.

Brown says the research she has done indicates that the Juno effect is quite real. "In the context of parents still not comfortable talking with their children about sex, with schools talking only about abstinence until marriage and with religion saying it's still a sin, the media have become very powerful sex educators," she argues.

Me, I learned everything I wanted to know from The Breakfast Club. Or maybe Hotel New Hampshire. The question is whether I learned everything I needed.

Laura Conaway

12:16 PM ET | 06-26-2008 | permalink | comments (20) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Let's Talk About This "Offline"

Filed under: Sound Off

Today on the show, we talked about the most annoying office jargon. The BBC just published their list "50 Office-Speak Phrases You Love to Hate," and "going forward," "loop back," "I've got you in my radar" and "product evanglist" all made the list.

My personal favorite is "Lets talk about this offline." What does this mean? Are the rest of our conversations "online?" I've noticed that people tend to say this in meetings when they want to discuss something in a smaller group at a later date, but I highly doubt they mean a conversation over the internet.

Caitlin Kenney

2:24 PM ET | 06-19-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Tim Russert's Death and the Media

Filed under: Sound Off, TV

Today on the show, we talked to Slate's Jack Shafer about the coverage of Tim Russert's death. Shafer criticized the media response in a recent Slate piece, "The Canonization of Saint Russert."

"I wonder whether the media grievers gave a moment of thought to how this Russert torrent they produced played with viewers and readers. Did the grievers really think Russert was so important, so vital to the nation's course, and such an elevated human being that he deserved hour upon hour of tribute? I wonder whether any of the responsible journalists paused to think, Hey, this is really weird. We're using our unchecked editorial power to soak the nation with our tears about our friend, and that's unseemly! On days like this, I, too, hate the press."

UPDATE: NBC News President Steve Capus talks to TVNewser about the criticism of NBC's coverage.

"I think it's been appropriate, balanced, loving. With all due respect, nobody can expect NBC to be objective. Tim had a remarkable, unique place in America. I can't think of anyone in our industry who would generate those type of intense feelings."

Caitlin Kenney

7:35 AM ET | 06-19-2008 | permalink | comments (71) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Is the Internet Making Us Stupid?

Filed under: Sound Off

Writer Nicholas Carr stopped by the BPP to discuss his provocatively-titled Atlantic Monthly article "Is Google Making Us Stoopid?"

In case you're wondering, Carr says that it's the nature and structure of the whole Internet, not just Google that he's talking about.

Carr says the Internet has shortened our attention spans. The Internet, he says, encourages us to click and skim, rather than to read and think. He also says the Internet actually makes it harder for us to read longer books and articles. Has that been your experience?

Paul Hechinger

11:20 AM ET | 06-16-2008 | permalink | comments (24) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Barack Obama Talks Dads

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama spoke at a Chicago church this Father's Day, calling on fathers to realize that "responsibility does not end at conception."

"Any fool can have a child, that doesn't make you a father, it's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father," said Obama. The issue has particular significance for the candidate whose own father left when he was two, and Obama says it is something the African-American community can't afford to ignore.

On the show today, Politico editor John Harris talked about the politics of Barack Obama's Father's Day sermon.

"This is something the most effective African-American politicians have done," said Harris. White audiences "don't want a sort of radical African American politician they want somebody who they believe shares essential middle class values."

Caitlin Kenney

7:19 AM ET | 06-16-2008 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Afraid of Friday the 13th?

Filed under: Sound Off

iStockphoto.com

On today's show, we heard from folklorist and psychologist Donald Dossey. Dossey says an estimated 17 million to 21 million Americans have some form of fear of Friday the 13th.

Now, me, personally, I'm about to go get on my bike and ride to Brooklyn. And I have to admit, I'll be thinking about Friday the 13th. Dossey says he tells his patients to relax about it -- advice that works to a point. "You've got to be careful trying to use logic, because logic does not work by the very nature of a phobia," he says. "A phobia is an illogical fear."

Laura Conaway

10:39 AM ET | 06-13-2008 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

The Integrated Prom: A Mississippi Editor Responds

Filed under: Sound Off

Mississippi's Charleston High School held its first interracial prom in April.

Catherine Farquharson

 

Jackson Free Press editor Donna Ladd talks about you.

This year, for the first time, the high school in Charleston, Miss., held an integrated prom -- ending a system of parallel parties for black and white students. After we covered the story this week, a whole lot of people wrote in to say they were just plain shocked that any kind of segregation could still exist in this country.

Um, private golf courses, anyone? Suburban high schools -- and inner city ones? Your church?

Since I first learned about the integrated prom through a report in the Jackson Free Press, I called the editor for her reaction. Donna Ladd is a longtime friend and hero of mine. More than once, she and her staff have tracked down a suspect in a decades-old race murder. She runs an integrated paper with an integrated audience. In my book, Donna Ladd has earned the right to talk about this, and what she says is that we need to see what's happening right in our neighborhoods.

Laura Conaway

8:40 AM ET | 06-13-2008 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Seeing Sexism in the Clinton Loss

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Seen at Clinton's concession speech, 06.07.08

Getty Images

 

On this morning's show, Rebecca Traister of Salon took on the question of whether sexism played a role in Hillary Clinton's primary defeat.

For me, the question hasn't been so much whether sexism caused Clinton to lose the Democratic presidential nomination as whether it affected the discussion about her while she was running -- and especially as she lost. For Traister, that's a yes. "Clinton could have won, and we should still be talking about the sexism," she says.

So let's talk about it. You guys already helped us get started, with your take on our Clinton campaign obit.

Another NPR headline: Who Did This to Hillary?

Laura Conaway

7:18 AM ET | 06- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (24) | e-mail post

Are We Over the Tie?

Filed under: Sound Off

What does the future hold for the necktie?

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the trade group that represents American tie makers is shutting down after 60 years. The reason -- tie sales are dropping... big time.

Today on the show we spoke to Marty Staff, CEO of JA Apparel, which owns the Joseph Abboud label, about the future of the tie. Staff says the tie isn't going away, it's just changing.

"The necktie has morphed into something different where it becomes more of a fashion accessory, not unlike a scarf, or a pocket square or an iPod case, more than just a piece of silk or cotton tied tight around your neck," Staff says.

As for me, the only time I've ever worn a tie was during my brief stint waiting tables at the Cheesecake Factory, and boy did I hate it.

Caitlin Kenney

2:34 PM ET | 06- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (33) | e-mail post

Open Thread: An End to the Democratic Race

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Barack Obama claimed the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday night, amassing more than the 2,118 delegates needed for the win.

His rival, Hillary Clinton, told insiders she'd consider joining the ticket as Obama's vice president.

You can sort that out in the comments below.

Bonus:
John McCain's speech last night.
Which a lot of bloggers panned.

Laura Conaway

7:13 AM ET | 06- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Embrace That $8 Gasoline

Filed under: Sound Off

UPDATE: A number of you say you've got no choice but to buy gas. We hear you. Now the national average has hit $4 a gallon, we'd like to know where you're trimming back in order to fill your tank.

On today's show, Chris Pummer argues that higher prices at the pump are good for everyone.

If the price goes to $8, Pummer says, we'll all be forced to make serious changes in our habits. For starters, we're looking at the end of the internal combustion engine. Will the pump charge hurt our pocketbooks? Yeah, sure, he writes, in a column for MarketWatch. But we could use a little tough love.

You good with that?

Laura Conaway

9:34 AM ET | 06- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (50) | e-mail post

Open Thread: The Autism Rights Movement

Filed under: Sound Off

On today's show, we heard from the president of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Ari Ne'eman, 20, has Asperger's, sometimes described as a milder former of autism. Ne'eman argues that people with so-called spectrum disorders have a right to exist as they are. Activists for neurodiversity say society needs to worry less about "fixing" people with diagnoses and concentrate more on making a place for them in society. "We are proud of who we are," he says. "We're proud of the community we are building."

In the U.K., the National Autistic Society has been running public service announcements for a couple of years now. The idea is to show more normal people the view through an autistic person's eyes. The clip above comes from "Think Differently" (check out parts two and three). The new campaign, " I Exist," focuses on autistic adults.

Take a look. Think it over. And tell us, can you relate to the autistic or Asperger's experience? Should society make more room for neurodiversity? Is the Autism Rights Movement onto something?

Bonus:
How neurotypical are you?
New York magazine on the Autism Rights Movement.

Laura Conaway

7:36 AM ET | 06- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (22) | e-mail post

What to Do with the Florida and Michigan Delegates?

Filed under: Sound Off

On today's show, Twitter pal Kerstin Upmeyer (@kittydew )talked about the frustrations of being a Democratic voter in Florida.

The National Democratic Committee meets this weekend to decide what to do with the delegates from Michigan and the Sunshine State. Upmeyer says she voted in the primary (for Barack Obama) even though she believed her ballot would count for nothing. Her husband, believing the same, stayed home. Hillary Clinton won.

Now, she says, there may be no good answer. "Definitely between a rock and a hard place," she says.

Got a fix?

Laura Conaway

9:11 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Court Smacks Texas over Sect's Kids

Filed under: Sound Off

Awhile back, we opened a thread about Texas taking more than 450 kids from a polygamous sect and putting them in foster care all over the state. Valentina wrote, "Can anything by done to help these children and mothers to stay together?"

The answer is in: yes. On Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court ruled the state had no right to take 139 of the kids; the ruling is expected to extend to all of the children. The court said Child Protective Services failed to demonstrate any immediate danger to the youth.

It's your thread, people. You know what to do with it.

Laura Conaway

8:20 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Afraid of Seeming Racist?

Filed under: Sound Off

On today's show, we looked at a new study that says many white people avoid situations where they might come off as racist. They're afraid to talk about race, for starters, but some are also nervous about simply hanging out with people of different backgrounds.

Want to talk about it?

Laura Conaway

9:54 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (32) | e-mail post

Sound Off: Your Letters to the Next CIC

Filed under: Sound Off

Artist Sheryl Oring types letters to the president for perfect strangers. A lot of letters. You can learn a little more about her here. And while Sheryl was in town, she was also kind enough to play secretary for a few BPP listeners. Check out their letters -- and add your own -- below.

And while you're at it, check out NPR's Get My Vote Project. It's for you.

Continue reading "Sound Off: Your Letters to the Next CIC" »

Win Rosenfeld

8:23 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Computer Solitaire Hooks Another Generation

Filed under: Sound Off

Can't stop? You're not alone.

"You don't win that often, but you have these incremental victories."

So says Josh Levin, author of a Slate article on the bizarrely addicting computer game Solitaire.

On today's show, Levin talks about why it is that so many people play Solitaire on their computers. In a Grand Theft Auto world, a lot of us still turn first to a game that hasn't changed all that much since the 1970s.

Personally, I never play Solitaire anymore. But dear listeners, I know you're out there lining up those cards on a screen. Set the mouse down for a second and tell us why.

Laura Conaway

9:40 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Kentucky Explained in Black and White

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Our conversation this morning with a professor from Kentucky stopped a few Twitter listeners cold.

Donald Gross, who teaches political science at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, took a question from Mike Pesca about Hillary Clinton's 30-point lead over Barack Obama in polls ahead of that state's Democratic presidential contest.

Gross noted that Kentucky has a very small African-American community -- the U.S. Census Bureau puts the figure at 7.5 percent of the population.

"I think in many parts of the state of Kentucky people are a bit uncomfortable with African-Americans," he said. "In a lot of the rural areas, literally a lot of these individuals have never seen African-Americans. They don't interact with them."

Continue reading "Kentucky Explained in Black and White" »

Laura Conaway

9:06 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (26) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Your Letter to the Next President

Filed under: Slideshow, Sound Off

Sheryl Oring wants your thoughts for the next boss.

Click to view.

 

What would you like to tell the next president?

We'd like to know -- and so would artist Sheryl Oring. Using an old manual typewriter, Oring will be taking dictation on Monday in Bryant Park for letters to the next commander-in-chief, as part of her project "I Wish to Say."

You can get in on it now. Drop your letter to the next president (in less than 400 words, if you can) in the comments. We'll ask Oring to include some of them in work next week.

Laura Conaway

8:21 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

What's the Opposite of a Zero-Sum Game?

Filed under: Sound Off

Yesterday during Laura's On The Blog segment, she was discussing whether it's possible to blog too much, when she had this exchange with Mike Pesca:

Listen to it again. It gets funnier.

But the question got us thinking...What is the opposite of a zero-sum game? We know there's such thing as a positive-sum game, where sides can both gain or lose at the same time, but that doesn't exactly seem to be the opposite of a zero-sum game. Are we missing something? What's an example of the opposite of a zero-sum game?

Dan Pashman

8:46 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Had It with Long Lines for the Women's Room?

Filed under: Luncheonette, Sound Off

For lunch today, an open thread. I'll start:

Some guys just do not understand certain things about life as a girl/woman.

Take the guy who shot this video over the summer in Prince Edward Island. The line for the women's restroom is out the door and into the parking lot. The line for the men's room is not. Having had maybe enough of that age-old scenario, the girlwomenpeople start queuing up for the opposite sex's loo.

Our camerman: "A new low! A new low!"

Dude, wait on lines like I've waited on lines and then editorialize. Or talk to Kathryn Anthony, an architecture professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who told us today about so-called potty parity laws.

Bonus: Potty parity haunts St. Louis arena

Laura Conaway

12:37 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (19) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Religion and the 'Cure' for Being Gay

Filed under: Sound Off

On our show today, psychiatrist David Scasta told us about his plans for a panel called "Homosexuality and Therapy: the Religious Dimension."

Scasta, who calls himself a quiet gay activist, says he wanted to address the needs of gay and bisexual patients whose religious beliefs might prompt them to seek some kind of "cure" for their sexual orientation. Scheduled for last week's American Psychiatric Association convention, the forum was to include V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, and conservative Christians who consider homosexuality a sin.

But after infuriated gay activists complained, Scasta called off his own panel.

"If you literally believe in a literal hell where you are going to burn and fry and be in excruciating pain not just for a moment but for eternity because you're a gay person," Scasta asks, "then how do you go to psychotherapy in which somebody like me would be telling you that to have a happy life, in this life, you need to learn to accept who you are?"

Scasta hoped for a discussion that might begin to bridge the gap between sides with very different opinions on a core issue. Personally, I'm just hoping to hear what you have to say, in the comments.

Laura Conaway

7:46 AM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (48) | e-mail post

Clinton, Obama Split Pair of Contests: Now What?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Clinton and Obama split Tuesday's contests.

AFP/Getty Images

As expected, Sen. Barack Obama took the Democratic presidential primary in North Carolina by a good margin -- some 56 to 42 percent. Obama received more than 90 percent of the African American vote and about 40 percent of the white vote. He won in every age group except voters over 65.

Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton won in Indiana by about 22,000 votes of the more than 1.2 million cast. She did well among white men and made some inroads into Obama's base, garnering support from younger white voters and those making more than $100,000. Clinton now trails Obama in pledged delegates by 171; she retains a 271-256 lead in declared superdelegates.

So those are the numbers, as NPR reports them this morning. Now comes the jawing -- starting with the New York Times analysis piece headlined "Options Dwindling for Clinton." Your turn's in the comments.

Laura Conaway

6:35 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

The Great Batman Debate

Filed under: Sound Off

Every Friday our friend Daniel Holloway, Metro movie critic, joins us to break down the upcoming weekend's new films. Last Friday, as you might expect, a lot of attention was paid to Ironman. And while discussing where that film ranks in the superhero movie pantheon, Daniel happened to mention that he doesn't list Batman in his top 10. That utterance caused Ian Chillag and me to jump from our cubicles and go running into the studio to protest. Here's a 1:36 clip of what happened:

As promised, Daniel and I have taken this outside...to the blog. Below are the e-mails we exchanged over the weekend, as we continued the discussion on friendlier terms. Take a read, then tell us what you think. And tell us what superhero flicks make your top 10.

DANIEL HOLLOWAY WRITES:
I was disappointed in my performance today during the raid by the Batmaniac Society. Really, if I'm going to say something like "Batman isn't one of the 10 best superhero movies ever," I should at least have the decency to be able to say why, right? So here's why:

1. Because X2, Superman, Spider-Man, The Incredibles, X-Men, Superman 2, Iron Man, Superman Returns, Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2 were all better.
2. Because it marks the beginning of Nicholson's "Jack being Jack" period, during which almost every part he's had could have been played just as well by a drunk person doing a Jack Nicholson impression.

Read the rest of Daniel's e-mail, and my response, after the jump...

Continue reading "The Great Batman Debate" »

Dan Pashman

3:30 PM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (29) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Is Wright Trying to Hurt Obama?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright addresses the National Press Club on April 28.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

 

Torpedo. That's the word I keep hearing to describe what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is or is not trying to do to Barack Obama's presidential bid. Yesterday, the Democratic senator's former pastor spoke at the National Press Club -- affirming his positions on the root causes of AIDS and 9-11 and decrying criticism of his sermons. "This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," Wright says. "It is an attack on the black church."

Obama told reporters that Wright doesn't speak for him or for the campaign. "Some of the comments that Rev. Wright has made offend me, and I understand why they offend the American people," the frontrunner said. Judging from opinion pages, that may not be enough. Obama and Wright's hometown paper, the Chicago Tribune, headlined an editorial "Wright's Curious Mission," writing:

By the end of Wright's performance, you had to wonder if he was trying to torpedo Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. He surely didn't seem troubled by that possibility. "Nothing can get in the way if God wants Obama to be president," Wright said. Maybe not. But the pastor seemed interested in testing the theory.

Bonus reads:
WaPo's Eugene Robinson: Where Wright goes wrong
EbonyJet's Monroe Anderson

Laura Conaway

6:25 AM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (42) | e-mail post

Government Money Arrives Early

Filed under: Sound Off

Apparently the economic stimulus money the government has promised is arriving early. About 800,000 recipients will get their money direct-deposited over each of the next three days.

Did you check your bank account? Did you get your money? What are you going to do with it

Tricia McKinney

2:18 PM ET | 04-28-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Your Turn: On the Sean Bell Verdict

Filed under: News, Sound Off

A woman reacts after the Sean Bell verdict.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

 

A New York judge today found three undercover detectives not guilty in the police shooting of Sean Bell. The unarmed man died in a hail of 50 bullets a few hours before he was to be married.

On the show today, Delores Jones-Brown of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice cited a nationwide trend of police either not being indicted or being acquitted when they kill civilians in the line of duty. Police are generally firing fewer bullets -- those aimed at Bell and his friends accounted for nearly 10 percent of the NYPD's total that year -- but Jones-Brown says that doesn't matter to the loved ones left behind.

"When you're the family members of the victims, you could care less what's going on in other parts of the state or in other parts of the country," she says. "And on an individual basis, a case such as this one where you've got at least one officer shooting 31 times, his shooting alone exceeds the average of the department by almost 10 times."

Laura Conaway

11:28 AM ET | 04-25-2008 | permalink | comments (58) | e-mail post

Nominees, Please: British Bands That Sound British

Filed under: Music, Sound Off

Yesterday I asked singer-songwriter Kate Nash a really brilliant question, which went something like: Uhhh, you're English . . . and you sound it, what's up with that?

Because isn't it the case that a lot of Brit bands, when they sing, sound American? The reverse is a rarity, American singers who sound British, Billy Joe of Green Day being the most prominent example. Musical genius Jacob Ganz and I began brainstorming the category of Acts that Sound the Most British. After the jump our top nominees, and a request for yours:

Continue reading "Nominees, Please: British Bands That Sound British" »

Mike Pesca

7:55 AM ET | 04-24-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

The Starving Dog: Real or Not?

Filed under: Sound Off

As seen on El Perrito Vive

photocredit

 

If you believe the online uproar, Costa Rican artist Guillermo Vargas starved a dog to death as part of a gallery exhibit. The story has Vargas pulling a stray from the street and tying it to a wall. Just out of its reach, the title You Are What You Read is spelled out in dog food.

New York University professor Randy Martin agreed to wrestle with the question of shock art for today's show. A logical extension of that is the question of whether the starving dog story is real.

FWIW, the rumor sleuthing site Snopes files this one under "undetermined."

Laura Conaway

2:38 PM ET | 04-22-2008 | permalink | comments (24) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Your Feet Are Killing You

Filed under: Sound Off

"Everyone who wears shoes walks wrong."

Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Awhile back, we had a guy on the show who has sworn off shoes forever. ""For me it was just more natural and comfortable," says Chris Roat, who runs a website devoted to barefoot hiking.

Today, we followed up with a New York magazine piece that suggests our shoes are forcing fundamental changes in the way the human body works. "Shoes hurt your feet," writes Adam Sternbergh. "They change how you walk. Your poor, tender, abused, ignored, maligned, misunderstood feet . . . are getting trounced in a war that's been raging for roughly a thousand years: the battle of shoes versus feet."

Need a little mercy for your sole?

Laura Conaway

11:44 AM ET | 04-22-2008 | permalink | comments (156) | e-mail post

Open Thread: The Kids from That Polygamous Sect

Filed under: Sound Off

On this morning's show, Dallas Morning News religion columnist Rod Dreher kindly considered all sides of that raid on the West Texas polygamous compound.

Dreher says he worries about the rights of religious minorities, but he adds, "You can't have people raping girls and calling it marriage." He also worries about the 416 kids separated from their mothers. "People can put themselves in the situation of these families," he says.

Anyone feeling that?

Laura Conaway

12:27 PM ET | 04-18-2008 | permalink | comments (28) | e-mail post

The West Memphis 3: Discuss

Filed under: Sound Off

The victims were all eight years old. From left, James Moore, Steven Branch and Christopher Byers.

Ever since I first heard the news that three boys had been found mutilated and murdered behind a truck stop in West Memphis, Ark., the case has parked itself in my brain. It doesn't take up a ton of personal real estate, but I never really forget it, either.

Three local young men were convicted for the 1993 killing of James Moore, Steven Branch and Christopher Byers. Two of them, Jessie Miskelley and James Baldwin, are serving life sentences. A third, Damien Echols, got the death penalty. The case was profiled in a series of documentaries that began with Paradise Lost. Fifteen years later, the so-called West Memphis 3 are still filing appeals, backed by celebrities like Eddie Vedder and local groups like Arkansas Take Action. On our show today, reporter Marc Perrusquia of the Memphis Commercial Appeal caught us up on the latest.

Part of what keeps their case rolling is claims by defense attorneys that new forensic evidence clears the men. And part of it is that prosecutors originally singled out Echols, in particular, as a weird Goth kid with pretentions to Satanic ritual and a penchant for unsettling tattoos.

I have no idea whether the West Memphis 3 should have been found guilty or should be released right this minute. I just know that someone did something to those kids.

Laura Conaway

9:07 AM ET | 04-11-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Ecclesiastes: Best Book in the Whole Bible

Filed under: Sound Off

Charlton Heston as Moses

Getty Images

 

In a recent survey, the Bible ranked as America's favorite book. On our show today, Slate's Bible blogger David Plotz ran down his favorite parts of the Hebrew scriptures.

I grew up Southern Baptist and memorized reams of Bible verses for Sword Drill competitions (wish you were there). My vote for biblical favorite goes to Ecclesiastes, with the 22nd Psalm -- not the 23rd -- the latter part of Isiah and the second part of John 13:1 lined up directly after, in some order. Why Ecclesiastes? Because whatever saying Shakespeare didn't invent, you'll find here. Because it's so radical they tack on a warning at the end. And because it contains lines like:

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no delight in them'; before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain."

Laura Conaway

2:04 PM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Slideshow: White Stuff People Like

Filed under: Sound Off

Click to watch.

iStockphoto

 

On today's show, we featured websites that take their inspiration from StuffWhitePeopleLike -- a three-month-old venture that's either the next big thing or the last big thing (already). Among our visitors was Scott Lamb of WhiteStuffPeopleLike. Lamb's site started on April 7, and it lists only three items so far: mayonnaise, cocaine and snow.

We think the Bryant Park Project's crowd can help round that out a little. (Leah illustrates her suggestion with a picture.)

Bonus reads:
Why I Don't Like StuffWhitePeopleLike
The Blog You're Going to Start Reading All the Time

Laura Conaway

12:00 PM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink | comments (28) | e-mail post

Who Should Play Rove, Rumsfeld and Cheney?

Filed under: Sound Off

In today's "Ramble," we mentioned that Thandie Newton had been tapped to play Condoleezza Rice in Oliver Stone's new movie W. Still to be cast are adviser Karl Rove, former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney--any thoughts?

Alison Stewart

11:17 AM ET | 04- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (23) | e-mail post

Gay Editor Says Clinton, Obama Courting His Paper

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

You guys want to talk about the election?

Mark Segal, editor of the Philadelphia Gay News, says Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are each asking for his newspaper's endorsement. Here's what he wants:

"We want to hear what's going on with their positions on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. We just don't want hear a very simple, 'Yeah, I want to get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' We would like to hear a plan."

Add in a position on the federal bill to end discrimination in employment and some kind of something on civil marriage (word: an awfully big issue at my house), and you've got Segal's take.

Laura Conaway

11:51 AM ET | 04- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

The Latest 'Vogue' Cover: What Do You See?

Filed under: Sound Off

Click to enlarge.

We got in on the conversation about the current cover of Vogue today.

Some people say it's a strikingly composed photo of hard bodied beauties LeBron James and Giselle Bunchen, others a new take on King Kong and Fay Wray.

What do you think -- does the image fortify racial sterotypes?

Alison Stewart

9:55 AM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Wondering About the Economy?

Filed under: Sound Off

Later this week, we're planning an open mic on the economy. Is the country heading for a recession? Are we in one now? What happened to all the value at Bear Stearns? What can you do with a weakened dollar? Should you wait to buy a house or borrow money for school -- or go for a lower rate now?

Post your questions about the economy and we'll throw them into the mix.

UPDATE: Kelly Evans takes our questions on the BPP.

Laura Conaway

8:25 AM ET | 03-18-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

What's Your Cure for a Hangover?

Filed under: Sound Off

It's St. Patrick's Day, which means whether your last name is McKinney or Pashman, you're likely to be doing some drinking today. (Unless of course you go to bed before sundown so you can wake up in the middle of the night to assemble a radio show that shines like a beacon of hope unto civilization. In that case you've already started.)

So if you have to get up to go to work tomorrow, you may need to fend off a hangover. But how? I'm a big believer in the idea that a hangover must be stopped before it starts, so I recommend a grilled egg and cheese sandwich before bed.

What's your hangover cure? We'll feature some of your remedies on tomorrow's show.

Dan Pashman

11:41 AM ET | 03-17-2008 | permalink | comments (13) | e-mail post

Under Wraps: Pushing the Limits of Modesty

Filed under: Sound Off

How modest is too modest? That's the question some Orthodox Jews in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh are asking after a local woman started pushing burqa-like dress for Jewish women.

One editorial in the Israeli press says a Jewish woman's choice to cover her body from head to toe is "self-effacement to the point of self-obliteration." Here's an excerpt from a January 2nd editorial in the Jewish Chronicle, which says Orthodox Jews pushing for extreme modesty are opening a "Pandora's Box."

"Some bloggers have cited parallels to eating disorders. Both anorexics and the burka women are denying their bodies in order to make them 'disappear.' Both are reacting to unattainable cultural ideals, be they size-zero thinness or increasingly stringent standards of modesty in the Charedi world, by taking them to an obsessive extreme. And anorexia is often understood to be a desperate way for women to assert control over at least one aspect of their lives. Surely, wearing a burka or vowing silence can be construed similarly."

Angela Ellis

9:12 AM ET | 03-17-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

A Challenge for Pi Day: Write Your Own Pi-ku

Filed under: Sound Off

Tomorrow is March 14, 3/14, 3.14, or as it's known to many unlikely to have other plans, Pi Day. I'm learning about a few ways Pi Day is celebrated by so-called mathletes. There are pie contests and pizza parties. Those who can recite more than just three digits do so out loud to no one in particular, and the Exploratorium in San Francisco holds an all-day celebration. And some people, we understand, write pi-ku--haiku about pi. I say we take it one step nerdier and make new rules.

First line: 3 syllables
Second line: 1 syllable
Third line: 4 syllables

What you got, BPPeople?

Ian Chillag

11:20 AM ET | 03-13-2008 | permalink | comments (104) | e-mail post

Listener Checks In: the Place Jeff Buckley Died

Filed under: Sound Off

Click to enlarge

Radio Sweetheart

 

Earlier this week, we ran what we call an "assisted listen" to the late Jeff Buckley's 1993 record Grace. The song "Hallelujah" has soared to the top of the iTunes charts, owing to a performance of it on American Idol.

Buckley died in 1997, swimming across a tributary of the Mississippi River in Memphis. Twitter friend @thespacebase, aka, happened to be in Memphis this week, and late last night he sent us this picture of the place Buckley died. Full text on Radio-sweethearts.com.

Bonus: More pictures from Memphis.

Laura Conaway

7:44 AM ET | 03-13-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Ferraro Remarks Shift Attention to Race

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro

Jamie Rose/Getty Images

Here's Geraldine Ferraro talking to the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif., about Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama:

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

And here's Ferraro talking to the New York Times about those remarks:

"Every time that campaign is upset about something, they call it racist," she said. "I will not be discriminated against because I'm white. If they think they're going to shut up Geraldine Ferraro with that kind of stuff, they don't know me."

Your turn to talk's in the comments, right below. You know what to do.

Bonus: Politico has a Ferraro flashback.

Laura Conaway

7:58 AM ET | 03-12-2008 | permalink | comments (27) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Home Schooled Much?

Filed under: Sound Off

Three Lions/Getty Images

The California courts have come down hard on home schooling families in the state. A new appellate ruling means parents who teach their kids may be breaking the law.

Luis Huerta of Columbia University says religious belief remains the top reason for going the home schooling route, but there's also a sizable "unschooling" movement. Not to mention people who end up home schooling kids who for whatever reason are a tough fit with the system (been there, years back -- not fun). No one knows how many people in California or elsewhere could be affected by the court ruling.

In some cases, "if they chose to home school, they've chosen not to report to the state," Huerta says.

Report to us, please. Ever considered the home school route?

Full read: California home schoolers get the heave-ho.

Laura Conaway

12:44 PM ET | 03-11-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

David Horvitz Sells It All

Filed under: Sound Off

Yours for $1,626.

DavidHorvitz.com

 

Want some star sand from the island of Iriomote? David Horvitz will get you some -- for a price. Strike the right price, and Horvitz will go as far from his house as possible (Perth, Australia, here he comes!) or think of someone he owes an apology and pay up in writing (you get a copy of the letter).

I'm interested in whether the BPP crowd would like to meet this guy. Check him out and let us know.

Laura Conaway

7:18 AM ET | 03-10-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Misogyny or Racism--Which Is Worse?

Filed under: Election 2008, Media, Sound Off

Tomorrow features yet another contest for the Democratic presidential hopefuls, and the fight for the nomination is getting grittier by the day.

If you read Maureen Dowd's column in the New York Times this week, you'll know that she wrote about gender and race and the current political climate. Specifically, Dowd addressed the way Clinton and some of her supporters are weaving the issue of gender into her profile as a candidate.

Dowd then raised this "elephant in the room" question:

People will have to choose which of America's sins are greater, and which stain will have to be removed first. Is misogyny worse than racism, or is racism worse than misogyny?

What do you think?

Alison Stewart

9:44 AM ET | 03- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Seen Any Good Typo's Lately?

Filed under: Sound Off

What's wrong with this picture?

Tricia McKinney/NPR

Jeff Deck and the Typo Eradication Advancement League are wandering the country, even as we speak, bringing the red pen of justice to typos everywhere.

Seen any? Tricia McKinney spotted the one above. After the jump, one from David Hollis of Hamilton, New York, and Radio Free Hamilton.

Continue reading "Seen Any Good Typo's Lately?" »

Laura Conaway

1:15 PM ET | 03- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (81) | e-mail post

Who Wins as the Democrats Battle On?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Clinton v. Obama goes another round.

Getty Images

Winning three out of four primaries Tuesday, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is claiming a comeback. Meanwhile, blogger Bill Scher of LiberalOasis.com says it's almost "impossible" for her to beat Barack Obama. He suggests the big winner here is Republican John McCain, who clinched the nomination yesterday and can now watch Obama and Clinton pummel each other.

Not sure what I think about all that. You?

Laura Conaway

8:39 AM ET | 03- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

What's the Opposite of a Bacon, Egg & Cheese?

Filed under: Sound Off

David Hernandez: American Idol finalist, Private Dancer.

Getty Images

According to the Associated Press, American Idol finalist David Hernandez used to be a stripper.

At a male strip club.

For males.

Gordy Bryan, the manager of the club, said he performed completely nude. "He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here," Bryan said.

It's yet another in a long line of American Idol scandals, which brings me to a theory I have and the title of this post.

I think the producers of American Idol knew about the David Hernandez thing all along and were holding the news back until this week because it is 80's week and that gives him the opportunity to sing Tina Turner's brilliant song, Private Dancer! Whatcha think about that!

Everyone in the office thinks I'm crazy. Maybe so. If I'm right, though, I will break my Lenten vow of giving up bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches (BC&E). I mean, if I'm right that'll be pretty amazing. I totally deserve that sandwich.

And if I'm not right? What then? Well, if I get to put the BC&E on the line then it's only fair that I eat the opposite of a BC&E if I turn out to be wrong. The question for you: what's the opposite of a BC&E?

Matt Martinez

2:47 PM ET | 03- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

Where Do You Hear Us?

Filed under: Inside The BPP, Sound Off

So you know we tried something new, producing-wise, with the A-Block yesterday. (Or if you don't know that, listen to it here.) I'm fascinated by the conversation that experiment started; your comments are insightful and helpful to us as we figure out how best to evolve as a great news show.

Tell us more -- for example, HOW do you listen to us? Do you stream us live? (Why or why not?) Do you hear us on Sirius, or the radio? Do you prefer the podcast? Do you listen to the whole thing?

Sharon Hoffman

8:13 AM ET | 03- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (53) | e-mail post

A Challenge: Madame Vichyssoise Eats Mad Crepes . . .

Filed under: Sound Off

All parts not shown here.

 

Remember when a bunch of astronomy guys got together and decided Pluto wasn't a planet but a dwarf planet? Then Pluto people were like, "Fine, but Pluto's awesome, so if Pluto's a dwarf planet, let's count dwarf planets as planets." The astronomy guys were like "whatever, OK, but if you count Pluto, you got to count Ceres, which we recently upgraded from asteroid to dwarf planet, and Eris, which is way out there past Pluto. Which still isn't a planet, btw."

We ended up with 11 planets, which means the old nine planet mnemonic "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas" no longer flies. Now that it's Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Eris, we need a new one. National Geographic held a contest, and a very smart 10-year-old, Maryn Smith, won with "My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants."

So are you smarter than a 4th grader? What can you do with M-V-E-M-C-J-S-U-N-P-E?

Ian Chillag

8:05 AM ET | 02-29-2008 | permalink | comments (14) | e-mail post

ABCs and LGBT: Teaching Tolerance to Kids

Filed under: Links From the Show, News, Sound Off

The same week a gay 8th grader was murdered, allegedly by a fellow student because of his sexual orientation, a landmark documentary on gay tolerance celebrated its 10th anniversary.

"It's Elementary: Talking about Gay Issues in School" focuses on 8th graders and the effort to prevent anti-gay bias from taking root in young minds. Here's a clip from the film, re-released last week on DVD.

When it came out in '98, there was a firestorm of controversy over talking homosexuality with K-8 graders. Opponents claimed the film was trying to indoctrinate school children in "the gay agenda," as they called it.

So is 6, 7 or 8 too early to talk LGBT? Or is it the right time to open minds and possibly help avoid more hate crimes like the California case? Let us know what you think.

Angela Ellis

4:20 PM ET | 02-25-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Great Big Beef Recall: Does It Matter Now?

Filed under: Sound Off

Last month BPP newscaster Rachel Martin opened a thread about cows being handled roughly in a California slaughterhouse. She asked whether it mattered if the beef you and your family ate came from crippled cows dragged onto the production line.

Apparently it does matter -- to the USDA, which just recalled 143 million pounds of that beef. It appears that much of the product has already been consumed, partly in school lunches.

Anyone think it matters now?

Laura Conaway

8:42 AM ET | 02-18-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Worst American President Ever?

Filed under: Sound Off

Picked-on: Warren G. Harding

Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

 

In honor or Presidents' Day, an open thread on the worst U.S. president ever -- with one important rule: The person has to have been elected prior to 1990. I'm voting for Warren G. Harding, but only because someone told me to.

Laura Conaway

8:34 AM ET | 02-18-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

You Can Name Jill Sobule's Band!

Filed under: Music, Sound Off, Video

BPP musical editorialist Jill Sobule is working on a new record. She also is putting together a new band. Funny thing, the witty wordsmith is at a loss for a name for her new group.

Please help Jill -- she's our friend. What should she name her band?

Alison Stewart

6:18 AM ET | 02-14-2008 | permalink | comments (33) | e-mail post

Anyone Up for the Paris Hilton Movie?

Filed under: Sound Off

Paris Hilton at the The Hottie and The Nottie premiere.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Our regular movie critic, Daniel Holloway, sees ooo-goodles of films every year. Good, bad, horrifying, objectionable -- whatever. But Holloway says he just flat doesn't want to see Paris Hilton's new flick, The Hottie and The Nottie. Holloway jokes that the very idea of it makes him feel "so dirty" -- and not in a good way, either.

We're good with that, but we'd still like to know whether the Paris Hilton movie is any good. From someone who's seen it. Volunteer critics, hit the comments with your reviews, please.

Laura Conaway

1:16 PM ET | 02- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Please Tell Me What iPod to Buy

Filed under: Sound Off

I'm in the market for an iPod. My current iPod is a super-old 40GB woolly mammoth without the tusks. (It looks like this one.) As I see it, I have three options: The 80GB iPod Classic, the new 32GB iPod Touch, or neither. (If I go with neither, I'll wait for an iPod Touch with more memory.)

Here are my considerations. . . .

Continue reading "Please Tell Me What iPod to Buy" »

Dan Pashman

7:22 AM ET | 02- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

A New Sound for the BPP. You Like or No?

Filed under: Inside The BPP, Sound Off

Our producers tried something new today for the opening block of the show. Basically they created a tapestry of cool sounds for a Super Tuesday report, and then folded the opening newscast right in.

I'm interested to hear how you like it.

Laura Conaway

10:09 AM ET | 02- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

How Do You Feel About These Super Bowl Ads?

Filed under: Sound Off, Sports

Two of last night's Super Bowl ads seem to be getting extra heat on the Interwebs -- and not the good kind of heat. The San Francisco Chronicle called this SalesGenie.com ad "most likely to result in the first Super Bowl ad apology of the season."

As for this next one...I don't have kids, so I'm not an expert on what freaks them out, but I have a feeling this ad might qualify:

What do you guys think? Is either ad offensive and/or inappropriate?

Dan Pashman

8:16 AM ET | 02- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (14) | e-mail post

Simon Says: Google This

Filed under: Sound Off

As Matt Martinez reported in The Most today, the number one search on Google Trends early this morning was the word "precocious." That's what "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell called a hapless hopeful, who will not be going to Hollywood. I guess he was referring to the fact that at the tender age of 16 she was attempting a Janis Joplin song. He didn't seem to mean it as a compliment, anyway.

But the singer didn't even know what "precocious" means, and apparently neither did a lot of viewers, who started typing the term into the ol' Googler to find out more.

Continue reading "Simon Says: Google This" »

Tricia McKinney

9:06 AM ET | 01-31-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Admit It: You've Had Tech Rage

Filed under: Sound Off

I'd be willing to be that every single one of you has had a technology-related emotional meltdown at some point, as spelled out in this recent piece from ABC News, "Yelling at Tech Support Does More Harm than Good."

You know how it goes down ... you're on deadline for something or other and your screen freezes or your Internet connection cracks or a file won't upload correctly. You call the 1-800 tech support number or drag your office IT guy/gal over to fix it, and as nice and earnest as they may be, you end up taking all your tech angst out on these people.

OK, sometimes they deserve it. But most of the time, they're just trying to do their job -- and their job means having to be the receptacle for all of our pain, anger and lost dreams linked to the inevitable tech meltdown.

Share your stories. What's the worst tech meltdown you've suffered? All IT folks out there -- What's your nightmare client story. We wanna know.

Rachel Martin

1:31 PM ET | 01-28-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Would You Sit Next to Someone Reading This Book?

Filed under: Sound Off

Kim Brittingham's home-made book cover

 

But she does get ticked off at the comments and stares she gets from her fellow bus riders. So one day she decided to fight back. She created this fake book cover and "read" from it every day in public for the next four months. Read about the reactions she got, or better yet, listen to the BPP interview.

As far-fetched as it may sound, some people say being fat IS contagious. One 2007study says obesity spreads socially. I'm not entirely sold. What do YOU think?

Pauline Bartolone

2:35 PM ET | 01-24-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

What's Your Six-Word Memoir?

Filed under: Sound Off

There's a new book coming out that caught our attention, called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs By Famous and Obscure Writers. It's from the editors of Smith Magazine, and it's exactly what it says it is -- a collection of memoirs, each just six words long.

The idea stems from a literary legend. We don't know if it's true, but as the story goes, Ernest Hemingway was once asked to write a story in six words. His response: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." That's at least as good as The Old Man and the Sea.

The editors of Smith challenged writers to craft their own six-word memoirs, and got some interesting results. Most of them sound kinda like crosses between a personal ad and a haiku...

"Shy Jersey kid, overcompensating ever since." --Ariel Kaminer

"Being a monk stunk. Better gay." --Bob Redman

"Couldn't cope so I wrote songs." --Aimee Mann

Some of them are funny, others are pretty poignant. There's one that says, "Was father. Boys died. Still sad." That's from Ronald Zalewski.

The BPP crew is going to post our six-word memoirs, and we want to hear yours. Sum up your life in six words -- no more, no less. For best results, don't overthink it. And remember, it's supposed to be a memoir, not a fortune cookie.

Dan Pashman

8:02 AM ET | 01-24-2008 | permalink | comments (772) | e-mail post

Questions, Please: Our Rattled Economy

Filed under: Sound Off

Y'all, on news that the Federal Reserve is whacking the interest rate by three-quarters of a point, the BPP is going all out on the economy. We need your questions/comments, please.

Specifically, we need questions from listeners about the economy -- anything and everything you that you're wondering about. The interest rate, the mortgage crisis, the national debt, the possible $800 tax rebate -- if you're wanting to ask, this is a great chance. We'll put the best questions to a guest on the air.

Second, we're wondering if anyone of you have noticed changes in your own spending habits. If you're worried about the economy, tell us what set those butterflies off. (Me, I started noticing that my pockets went empty a lot faster than I expected -- a brush with stagnant income in a world of rising prices. You?)

Laura Conaway

11:30 AM ET | 01-22-2008 | permalink | comments (13) | e-mail post

Open Mic: It's MLK Day. Where's Your Head?

Filed under: Sound Off

He himself.

Getty Images

 

These days when I wrestle with race, I often think back to the fewer than 50 black kids -- in a student body of 1,200 -- at my college. And I think, man, I gave almost no thought at all to what that might have been like for them. It wasn't that I meant anyone harm; I just never considered the thousand little ways my being white may have made my experience that much easier. Now I can see that my whole known world depended on that one thing.

Laura Conaway

12:30 PM ET | 01-21-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Real Live Money May Be Coming Your Way

Filed under: Sound Off

The news of Washington says President Bush is considering a tax rebate as a means of getting the sluggish economy going again. We're talking up to $800 for individual taxpayers.

If I get one, it's going to fix the roof -- whether that stimulates the economy or not. You?

Laura Conaway

8:12 AM ET | 01-18-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

Welcome to the BPP Diner. Need Coffee, Hon?

Filed under: Sound Off

NPR guy Andy Carvin, one of the humans most responsible for our great Twitterlution (aka the Twitternado, says Ian Chillag), has taken this great experiment to a new level. And all.

Andy created the BPPdiner, which pulls together all the BPP-related posts on Twitter.com. Sign up to follow it, and then you'll see all the BPP-related posts. Lost? Me, too. Here's Andy:

BPPdiner is an automatic aggregation of every post on Twitter that uses the word bpp. That way, it makes an easy way to create a group on Twitter. Just tell people to mention bpp (or @bpp) in their Tweets, and it'll be posted to BPPdiner. So it kinda is like a listserv for twitter.

The idea, I think, is to help us all keep talking. It should come in especially handy each morning, when the show is broadcasting live. Wander over to the diner. I've seen @robpatrob pouring fresh cups of coffee over there all day.

Laura Conaway

3:20 PM ET | 01-16-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Listeners, Unite: Join the BPP's Twitter-lution!

Filed under: Inside The BPP, Sound Off

Thanks to the really smart Rob Paterson, we're going over the edge with Twitter. Twitter, for the rookies, is equal parts cocktail party, Instant Messenger and microblog. You can check out our feed, twitter.com/bpp, complete with on-air posts from show host Alison Stewart.

We love this thing already, but Rob Paterson has an idea for taking it a step further. Here's the deal. "Follow" our feed. Then "follow" each other's. I'll be sending out an e-mail of volunteers for this little experiment later. If you want to play, leave a note in the comments, please. After the jump, a list of volunteers. "Follow" their feeds, everyone, and volunteers, return the love.

Report back, please, in the Twitter-verse!

Continue reading "Listeners, Unite: Join the BPP's Twitter-lution!" »

Laura Conaway

9:26 AM ET | 01-16-2008 | permalink | comments (33) | e-mail post

'Tis the Season for Internet Dating

Filed under: Sound Off

January's the month to click for company.

That's according to a story this month in the Seattle Times. They call this period between New Year's and Valentine's Day "hunting season," when the internet dating business is busiest and most profitable.

It's not hard to think of reasons for the surge: New Year's resolutions, familial pressure leftover from the holidays to find a honey, or just the wintertime cold and loneliness. One thing's for sure, people can't stand the thought of being alone this Valentine's Day.

Makes me wonder - there must be a plethora of untapped stories surrounding internet romance. I know what my friends have told me, but we want to hear from you.

What's the worst internet dating experience you've had? Know anyone who's gone to great lengths to find a mate? Perhaps you're addicted to match.com, or you're the lucky one who's met the love of your life.

In honor of "internet dating month," we're farming your stories. Email us, or post a comment. One of these days, we'll ask you to call in.

Pauline Bartolone

5:22 PM ET | 01-15-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Anyone Living in the Bargain Basement?

Filed under: Sound Off

The New York Times had a great article Monday about Americans at all economic levels cutting back on spending. The Times says a decline in personal consumption would be the first since 1991, and it could send the economy into a recession.The article quoted a number of retail professionals and also some regular people.

Jinal Shah, 22, a college senior in New York, said she wanted to buy the popular Nintendo Wii video game system as a gift for herself this holiday season, but had second thoughts because of the $250 price tag. She ended up not purchasing it. "You have to make choices," she said. "I get the Wii, or I go out more. I am just much more aware of the tradeoff now."

As I read this article, I realized that even though I don't have any major financial concerns- I've been cutting back too. I haven't been going out to eat as much and I've started buying some products in bulk at Costco. Anyone else feeling the squeeze?

Caitlin Kenney

1:42 PM ET | 01-15-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Obama Cartoon: Politically Incorrect? Just Asking.

Filed under: Sound Off

As seen on the Guardian Unlimited

 

I pretty much had an immediate and visceral reaction to a cartoon this week labeled "Target Man." I saw it Wednesday -- the same day that a Hillary Clinton supporter at a Dover, New Hampshire, rally introduced the candidate like this: "Some people compare one of the other candidates to John F. Kennedy. But he was assassinated."

It's been clear to most in the press that it was a reference to Barack Obama, whose message of hope and magnanimous public speaking style has been likened to JFK's.

Back to the cartoon. It's from the U.K.'s Guardian Unlimited and billed as cartoonist Steve Bell's commentary on Democrat "Barack Obama's sprint to the White House."

Here's my question: Is this a commentary on Obama's being the biggest threat to his opponents' campaigns, therefore making him the focus of their strategies? Is it a play on how Obama has come under fire by the Clinton camp after his Iowa win? Or is it a reference to stories that many people -- especially some in the African-American community -- feel anxiety and fear for Obama as he advances in the campaign because he could possibly be the target of an assassination attempt? And if it is reference to those fears, is it an insensitive one?

On first glance, I felt the latter -- again, in no small part to the New Hampshire rally comment. But now I'm wondering if that's too reactionary. What if the cartoon showed Mitt Romney, a candidate also heavily pounded by his rivals? Or Hillary Clinton? Would it be offensive to show any other candidate with a target on his or her chest? Or does it just seem wrong because Obama -- as the nation's first viable African-American presidential candidate -- really could be a target for the people whose threats have necessitated 24-hour Secret Service protection for the candidate? What do you guys think?

Angela Ellis

8:00 PM ET | 01-10-2008 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

Michael Pollan Reveals 'Guilty Pleasure' Junk Food

Filed under: Sound Off

None other than the author of Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food talked us through the politics of eating right. Prompted by a listener question, Pollan revealed his own "guilty pleasure" snacks:

Cracker Jack and corn chips.

I'm with him on the corn chips. You?

Laura Conaway

9:58 AM ET | 01- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

Just Asking: Who's Got Your Youth Vote?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Gail Collins summed up the choice between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Sunday's New York Times:

How could you be 21 and not be for Barack Obama?

How could you be 53 and not wonder how this relative stranger will hold up when the disasters arrive, when things get truly nasty and the crowd starts seeing him as mortal?

Anyone relating to that?

Laura Conaway

11:18 AM ET | 01- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Open Thread: What the Heck Happened in Iowa?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Returns from the Iowa caucus look like this:

On the Republican side, in order, it's Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson/JohnMcCain, Ron Paul.

On the Democratic side, in order, it's Barack Obama, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd are calling it quits.

And what, gentle listener, are you calling it? Can Romney recover? Did Clinton pay too little attention to Iowa, or too much? Anyone see a John Edwards surge in the making? And what happens now for the passionate supporters of Ron Paul?

Hit the comments, please. We're looking for you.

Laura Conaway

6:50 AM ET | 01- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

What Have You Changed Your Mind About?

Filed under: Sound Off

Every year, the World Question Center at The Edge poses a Big Question to scientists and thinkers of every stripe, and this year it's "What have you changed your mind about? Why?"

The list of answers is staggering to look at, both because they get to big questions--the existence of God, the path of evolution, the way human beings work--and because looking through the list, you get a sense of just how many people way, way smarter than you are out there.

As for me, like computational neuroscientist Terrence Sejnowski, I've changed my mind about cortical neurons. I definitely started out 2007 firmly against them, but now I'm totally into them. They're awesome.

Anyway, check it out, and do let us know if you've changed your mind about anything this year.

Ian Chillag

7:42 AM ET | 01- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

You Decide: The Tug Over the Pug

Filed under: Links From the Show, Media, Sound Off

Tracey Gaughran-Perez says that she took the picture on the left, and that Fox broadcast a tweaked version of it, seen on the right.

From Sweetney.com

 

Imagine if you were at home, just relaxing in front of the TV, when you suddenly see a picture you took of your beloved Fluffy or Fido appear on the screen. Sure, you think your pet is the cutest, but would you really want their image broadcast into thousand of homes without your permission?

One blogger in Maryland says that is exactly what happened to her, and she isn't happy about it. Tracey Gaughran-Perez says a picture of her pug Truman was ripped from her blog and used by Fox in a Holiday Greeting spot without her permission. Let us know what you think -- does that look like the same dog to you?

On the show: Copyright on the Internet.

Caitlin Kenney

11:15 AM ET | 12-31-2007 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

Sound Off: Bhutto Killed. Feeling Queasy?

Filed under: News, Sound Off

Benazir Bhutto, at the rally where she was later killed.

Getty Images

First the news said there had been a bomb blast at a Benazir Bhutto campaign rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Then it said the former prime minster had been hurt. And then it said Bhutto had been killed.

Don't know about you, I couldn't help feeling a little queasy in the newsroom -- if I'm not sure yet exactly why. You?

Laura Conaway

10:09 AM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (74) | e-mail post

Wanted: Your Xmas Gift Horror Stories

Filed under: Sound Off

Can you tell we want you to send us your Xmas gift horror stories? Stuff like this YouTube testimonial, except shorter. And in audio or written form. E-mail it, or comment to this post.

Pauline Bartolone

4:03 PM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Want to Rent a Dog for a Day?

Filed under: City Living, Sound Off

What if you don't want a dog all the time?

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Wish you had a dog but don't want the responsibility of full-time pet ownership? FlexPetz has a plan for you. Sign up for the company's "flexible dog ownership program" and a pooch can be yours -- for as long as you want, and not a minute longer.

FlexPetz rep Chris Haddix came on our show today to talk about the business and to defend it against people saying that part-time pets are bound to have problems.

Personally, I could use a part-time dog -- especially when I'm out there walking our family's full-time terrier in the predawn -- but I've got my questions about actually getting a part-time dog. You?

Laura Conaway

9:20 AM ET | 12-19-2007 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Gender Bias? Editor Defends the Clinton Pick

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

For the longest time, newspaper editorial boards were all-male, and so were presidential fields. This election cycle, the Des Moines Register's editorial board is largely female, and the presidential field features a senator from New York named Hillary Clinton.

Who, it should be noted, just won the Register's endorsement on that side of the ticket. Executive editor Carolyn Washburn came on our show today and talked about the process of making the pick--followed by the process of defending it. The editor says Clinton just blew the group away.

"We all had our shields up, to be honest, in the same way that many, many Americans have their shields up about her," Washburn remembers. "We finished an hour and a half with her and came out and looked at each other and went, 'Wow.' She's just extremely impressive."

Laura Conaway

1:14 PM ET | 12-17-2007 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Bush Goes All Ontological on My T.V.

Filed under: Sound Off

We're watching President Bush's press conference today, and a whole lot of it has to do with Iran -- which, it turns out, U.S. intelligence now says gave up trying to make nuclear weapons in 2003.

And in the middle of trying to sort out for the world what the U.S. knew and did not know about Iran and when, President Bush just said:

"Why is it that you can't get exact knowledge -- quicker?"

I often wonder that myself.

Laura Conaway

10:10 AM ET | 12- 4-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

About That Facebook Revolt

Filed under: Sound Off

This guy named Sean Lane went online and bought his wife a big ring for Christmas. Sean was a Facebook user (us, too), and he soon discovered that his purchase was listed on the site for all of his friends to see -- including, of course, his wife.

Lane wasn't too happy about that, and neither are the thousands of people who signed a petition telling Facebook to back off on its new marketing plan. Facebook says Beacon won't publish the contents of your cart unless you give the OK. Personally, I wouldn't. But the world does keep on surprising.

Laura Conaway

10:40 AM ET | 11-30-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Open Thread: What Ron Paul Believes

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Ron Paul takes questions from reporters.

Getty Images

Tucker Carlson has been following GOP phenom Ron Paul around for an article he's writing for the New Republic, and today he shared some of his observations. Among the more interesting is that Paul is more radical than some of his supporters realize:

Paul thinks there should be no "government-sponsored safety net" -- a concept almost unimaginable to most voters. "I think if some of them thought that through, they would no longer be on Ron Paul's side," Carlson says.

Bonus: Ron Paul on the Issues

Laura Conaway

10:12 AM ET | 11-28-2007 | permalink | comments (178) | e-mail post

Naming Names in the MySpace Suicide?

Filed under: Media, Sound Off

On today's show, reporter Steve Pokin of the St. Charles Journal talked about breaking the story of Megan Meiers, the 13-year-old girl who hanged herself after a neighbor girl's family wooed her with a fake MySpace suitor. When the suitor turned on Megan and told her the world would be better off without her, she hanged herself.

Pokin's paper hasn't named the other family, even as bloggers plaster their names and personal information all over the Web. A handful of mainstream media outlets, including the Boston Globe, has named the family.

NPR is choosing not to name the other family at this point. What would you do?

Laura Conaway

1:03 PM ET | 11-27-2007 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

Contest: Fred Thompson, Natural Wonder

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Fred Thompson, Republican presidential contender

photocredit

GOP contender Fred Thompson continues to be hit with the accusation that he isn't campaigning hard enough.

Commentators have described him as "running like a dry creek" and said that following Thompson's presidential effort "is like watching a big bear stand up and try to dance on ice."

Which we think deserves a Fred Thompson Natural Phenomenon Metaphor contest. Guest host Mike Pesca kicks it off with this beauty:

"The Thompson campaign has all the momentum of a frozen brontosaurus."

People, I'm holding out for better.

Laura Conaway

8:38 AM ET | 11-26-2007 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

This Bird Is Worth $10,000

Filed under: City Living, Links From the Show, Sound Off

His return is priceless.

BPP

 

Lee Frankel has been papering his New York neighborhood with fliers seeking information about his lost pet parrot. On today's show, he told us the saga of his lost feathered friend and made the case for its being worth a $10,000 reward.

If you've seen the bird in question, by all means let us know. Second, about that reward: How much is enough -- or too much?

Laura Conaway

7:55 AM ET | 11-26-2007 | permalink | comments (30) | e-mail post

Open Thread: The Miserable Case of Megan Meier

Filed under: News, Sound Off

Some stories just take the words right of your mouth. The shame of what happened to Megan Meier, the Missouri girl who hanged herself just weeks before her 14th birthday -- and the spectacle of what happened after -- would seem to point to the very worst of human behavior.

Last year, Megan had a falling out with a neighbor girl. The girl's parents created a fake suitor on MySpace, and had him cozy up to Megan for about six weeks before turning on her, calling her fat and a slut and telling her the world would be a better place without her.

Megan killed herself. And the neighbor girl's parents are under siege now that bloggers have outed them as the perpetrators of the fatal hoax. There appears to be precious little in the way of legal repercussions, but wow, the moral weight.

Listeners, this one's yours. Say something, because I'm not sure I can.

Laura Conaway

8:43 AM ET | 11-19-2007 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Hosting a First Thanksgiving? Be Our Guest!

Filed under: Sound Off

Quick, get the Joy of Cooking!

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

 

Word to the galley-kitchen chefs of the world: We're looking for someone who's bravely hosting Thanksgiving for the first time. If you're game for talking about that faux-game bird in the oven, we're game for calling.

Volunteer in the comments. With a vengeance, please.

Laura Conaway

8:32 AM ET | 11-19-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Sound Off: Poker Is Good for You

Filed under: Sound Off

Lawmakers in Washington are considering whether to legalize online poker. Harvard law professor Charles R. Nesson stopped by our show today to tell us why they should. Basically, learning to make bets and read your opponents makes you explosively great or something:

"You put those two together and you have a dynamite poker player, or a dynamite lawyer, or a dynamite businessman," Nesson says. "You have dynamite."

Opinions?

Laura Conaway

10:16 AM ET | 11-16-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Is Partisanship Our New Civil War?

Filed under: Sound Off

Ronald Brownstein swung by the show today and lobbed this bomb of an idea: That entrenched partisanship has so poisoned American politics that it has become the equivalent of a new civil war.

Brownstein writes about the state of the nation in his new book, The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America.

You can write about it in the comments. America, are we busted?

Laura Conaway

8:15 AM ET | 11-16-2007 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

Listener Challenge: Write Us a Rap

Filed under: Sound Off

The emergency room nurses at the University of Alabama at Birmingham wrote and performed the rap for national nurses' week. It's kind of beyond genius, maybe even eternal.

And we want one, too. Listeners, get the beat on, please -- write us a rap, either for the BPP or the NPR or your new toaster over. Whatever's got you, make it rhyme. Please.

Laura Conaway

8:06 AM ET | 11-16-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Can You Grow Out of Attention Deficit Disorder?

Filed under: Sound Off

There's a story that's been all over the place the last couple days about a couple of recent studies saying that just because kids have behavior problems when they're younger doesn't mean they're doomed to fall behind in school as they get older.

According to the piece in the New York Times, the findings could change the way educators deal with kids with disorders like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Previous research has shown that kids with ADHD suffer from some kind of deficit or flaw, but one of these recent studies by the National Institute of Mental Health says these kids are just developing slower than others. There's also a good piece on this on npr.org:

Check out the stories and let us know your thoughts or share your stories with us. Are you the parent of a child with ADHD, and if so, have your kids been treated differently in school? Are you an adult who was diagnosed with ADHD or some other behavioral disorder when you were a kid? How has that diagnosis affected you?

Rachel Martin

11:19 AM ET | 11-14-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

The Economics and Morality of eBay Kidneys

Filed under: Sound Off

One right kidney, lightly used.

From nlm.nih.gov

On today's show we talked to Julio Elias, economics professor at the University of Buffalo, who makes an economist's argument in favor of paying people for kidney donations. That discussion sprung from an article about the same debate in the medical community.

Elias says that letting people buy and sell kidneys would solve the critical shortage of organ donors. Opponents say the practice is considered repugnant and would be riddled with abuse.

So what do you think? Money for kidneys--yea or nay?

Dan Pashman

7:30 AM ET | 11-14-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Black, White and Gray: Transracial Adoption

Filed under: Sound Off

The young Lisa Marie Rollins

Lisa Marie Rollins, a writer and actor who's fast becoming a leading voice on the subject of transracial adoption, came on our show today and talked about growing up black in a white family in Washington State.

Rollins keeps a blog on the complex experience of being plucked out of one's birth situation and placed in a home where you don't necessarily look like anyone there. She'd like to see the end of adoption as we know it, in which children are separated from their birth parents and only rarely given the chance for reuniting.

Questions? Thoughts? A story to tell? Hit the comments, please.

Laura Conaway

10:02 AM ET | 11- 7-2007 | permalink | comments (22) | e-mail post

Animal Rights, Meet Miss Manners

Filed under: Sound Off

Become the chicken.

Mandel Ngan

I'm pretty sure the chicken leftovers I just microwaved came from a bird that pecked happily around an actual barnyard somewhere the Catskills. And I'm pretty sure I haven't done worse to a pet than to yell at our puppy after he bit the clematis vine in half. (Like he cared.)

But apparently, if I'm to get any more involved with animal rights, I'd do well to watch my manners. Or so says the Humane Society of the United States, whose president, Wayne Pacelle, visited us today to talk about the advice his group is giving activists these days.

He says it makes you more effective, but I can't help wondering if the hardcores out there feel a little, I don't know, cropped.

Laura Conaway

1:03 PM ET | 11- 6-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Your Flight Delay Story Here, Please

Filed under: Sound Off

We don't like it, either.

Thomas Cooper/Getty Images

So this print reporter, Mike Idov, comes on our radio show today and tells us that 75 percent of this nation's delayed flights get that way because of something that happens in New York.

Go ahead, blame us. Tell us your travel nightmares. (Because ours all have to do with showing up at LGA instead of JFK, etc. And that's just embarrassing.)

Laura Conaway

12:45 PM ET | 11- 6-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Could Leaded Gasoline Be a Cause of Crime?

Filed under: Sound Off

The lead went away, and so did much of the crime.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

On the show today, economist Rick Nevin noted a correlation between the ban on leaded gasoline and the drop in crime rates around the world. Do you buy his theory?

Click here and here to have a look at Nevin's evidence.

Ilya Marritz

8:05 AM ET | 11- 6-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Itching to Run a Marathon?

Filed under: Sound Off, Sports

Martin Lel and Paula Radcliffe: Could be you. Maybe.

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

On today's show, former Boston marathon champ Amby Burfoot mourned the loss of runner Ryan Shay and celebrated the victory of Shay's friend, Ryan Hall, in Saturday's Olympic marathon trial for the men's team in New York. The next day, Martin Lel and Paula Radcliffe won hotly contested races in the city's IMG marathon.

The day after the big race, running shops typically mark down the prices on shoes and other gear -- ready to catch the wave of people who find themselves suddenly inspired to run. If you're starting from zero, Amby says, your initial training should consist of walking, walking and more walking.

Itching to try the marathon?

Laura Conaway

7:46 AM ET | 11- 5-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Josh Ritter: Shades of 'Blonde on Blonde'?

Filed under: Music, Sound Off, Video

Awhile back, we had the pleasure of hosting songwriter Josh Ritter in the Bryant Park studios.

With the launch of NPR's amazing new music site--just wait until you get a look at that!--we're bringing his beautiful performance back front and center, where it belongs. Here, the Idaho-born musician plays a track from his new album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, called "To the Dogs or Whoever."

Is is just me, or is he channeling Bob Dylan, circa Blonde on Blonde? I'm so hearing "I Want You" in this.

Laura Conaway

10:47 AM ET | 11- 3-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Are Too Many People Trying to Run Marathons?

Filed under: Sound Off, Sports

Two people died in this year's Chicago marathon?

Getty Images

We were standing at about mile 25, I think, somewhere along the leafy, green road that circles New York's Central Park. The crowd for the New York City marathon gasped, literally gasped, when this one poor guy trudged by.

His inner thighs were so chafed, you'd have thought they were painted red. It looked like he'd been gone over with sand paper or maybe cheese grater. But he looked otherwise in fine physical shape, a healthy specimen making his way methodically to the finish line. I'll bet he couldn't wear jeans for months.

Not long after, a middle-aged guy in a Mexico jersey puttered over to the rail, where his young nieces were calling to him and cheering him on. He stopped and chatted, not winded in the least, letting dozens and dozens of people finish ahead of him. And then he jogged on. I remember thinking that if I ever ran the race, I wanted to be that guy--comfortable, comfortable with my performance, loving it.

Statistics predict that eight people will die while running marathons in the United States this year. With the NYC marathon on Sunday, a cardiac specialist and marathon runner talks to us today about the race's toll on the body and whether too many people who aren't ready to run it are attempting the feat, anyway.

Laura Conaway

11:53 AM ET | 11- 2-2007 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

Breast Milk Sale ... Final Closeout

Filed under: Sound Off

An Iowa woman took out an ad in her local newspaper to sell 100 oz. of her breast milk for $200 or the best offer.

Martha Heller, 22, told the AP that her freezer is packed with the milk, and her four-month-old daughter won't feed from a bottle. She's continued to pump, though, and donates the breast milk to the University of Iowa's Mother's Milk Bank. The 100 oz. on the auction block were pumped before she passed the bank's screening process, and breast milk only lasts for about six months when frozen. Dare I call this a 'liquidation sale'?

So what's the consensus out there? Would you buy breast milk from an able donor? Or is that just a little too personal?

MJ Davis

9:15 AM ET | 11- 2-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Chad Orphan Scandal a 'Kafkaesque' Nightmare

Filed under: Sound Off

Sudanese kids protest at the French embassy.

Abd Raouf/AP

Fascinating report today from Eleanor Beardsley, NPR's correspondent in France, on the situation in Chad. That nation had detained 17 Europeans after a French charity tried to take 103 children it said were orphans from Darfur to Europe for adoption.

The United Nations now says most of those kids were actually from Chad, and most have at least one living parent. In many cases, the families desperately want the kids back. The charity, Zoe's Ark, had been warned by the French government in August not to arrange adoptions from the region.

Chadean president Idriss Deby has called for the release of the reporters and the group's Spanish flight crew, but continues to draw the case in the starkest of terms:

"Clearly, their goal is to kidnap and steal these kids from their parents, and sell them to pedophile organizations in Europe, or kill them and sell their organs."

Beardsley calls the situation a "Kafkaesque drama, your worst nightmare" that is "bringing up questions of colonialism, you know, 'the white man rescuing these children.' "

Laura Conaway

8:52 AM ET | 11- 2-2007 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Anyone Seen Peter Bjorn and John?

Filed under: Sound Off

Cute -- and popular, too.

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Sounding like some sort of heavenly angel, Peter Moren of the Swedish rock trio Peter Bjorn and John came on our show today.

Apparently the band is touring all over the place. If any of you have seen them live, please hit the comments.

Laura Conaway

11:18 AM ET | 11- 1-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Diplomats No Wanna Go to Iraq

Filed under: Sound Off

The scene where Blackwater opened fire in September while escorting a convoy of American diplomats

Ali Yussef/AFP/Getty

Yesterday, a group of angry diplomats told the State Department they weren't happy with the idea of mandated tours of duty in Iraq. Seems the State Department expects nearly 50 slots to become vacant at the embassy in Baghdad next summer, and not nearly enough volunteers to fill them.

One veteran diplomat told the brass:

"It's one thing if someone believes in what's going on over there and volunteers. But it's another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment. And I'm sorry, but basically that's a potential death sentence, and you know it. . . . Who will take care of our children? Who will raise our children if we're dead or seriously wounded? Who will get our kids through life?"

Should the diplomats be forced to go? Would you go? And what does their outrage signal to the thousands of U.S. troops pulling multiple tours on the front lines?

Laura Conaway

10:10 AM ET | 11- 1-2007 | permalink | comments (47) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Saggy Pants Guy Kinda Sorry

Filed under: Sound Off

Dooney Da' Priest, writer of the rap song "Pull Your Pants Up," tells the BPP that he meant no offense to the gay community with lyrics that suggest you look gay and you're less than a real man if you wear your pants low:

"Whether their sexual preference is to be a homosexual or being gay, that's their problem. I'm the street, I'm the street priest, and I have real good Christian values on what I believe in, and I am against homosexuality."

So what if Dooney Da' Priest thinks being gay is wrong? To me, that's his business. But I'm less convinced the message belongs in a city campaign. You?

Laura Conaway

9:06 AM ET | 10-30-2007 | permalink | comments (28) | e-mail post

UPDATED: Dallas Saggy Pants Song: Homophobic?

Filed under: Sound Off

Interview: Dooney Da' Priest explains that in jail, showing your boxers is a way of signaling sexual availability to other men.

No sooner had we blogged a Morning Edition piece about a push to stop kids in Dallas from wearing saggy pants than BPP listeners snagged on a lyric in the campaign's signature song, "Pull Your Pants Up," by Dooney Da' Priest.

Listener Andrew Jones transcribed it this way: "You walk the streets with your pants way down low/ I don't know/ looks to me you on the down low."

The "down low" is slang for keeping something secret -- perhaps most commonly same-sex encounters.

Jones commented:

It's cute when homophobia is part of a citywide campaign. Shaming the youth by calling them gay, love that from the government.

We're working on an audio segment about this, and we welcome, encourage and otherwise beg you to take this up in the comments. Check out the audio link and tell us, is "Pull Your Pants" up homophobic? Is it just another case of prison culture exported to the streets? A little of both?

UPDATE: Dooney Da' Priest talks to the BPP.

Laura Conaway

10:47 AM ET | 10-25-2007 | permalink | comments (65) | e-mail post

Against Global Warming? How About Nukes?

Filed under: Sound Off

President Bush visits a Maryland nuclear plant in 2005.

Getty Images

In his 2007 State of the Union Address, President George Bush called for the nation to look for alternatives sources of energy:

"It's in our vital interest to diverse America's energy supply, and the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power, with even greater use of clean coal technology, solar and wind energy and clean, safe nuclear power."

Now the Senate is considering a measure that could finance a boom in construction for new nuclear plants. Introducing a series on that story today, Luke Burbank quoted a friend of his as saying that if you're against global warming, you can't be against nuclear power.

Or can you? We're asking.

Laura Conaway

1:05 PM ET | 10-23-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Who Counts as a 'Values Voter'?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Christians rally at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005

Alex Wong/Getty Images

On this morning's show, we talked to people on their way to the Family Research Council's second annual Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.. All the major GOP candidates will be attending this gathering of conservative Christians.

For the people we talked to, being a "values voter" means opposing abortion and the right to same-sex marriage and supporting the nomination of judges who share those views.

As host Alison Stewart asked, what about people who hold different beliefs, and "they say, hey, we have values, too?"

So what about 'em? Do you consider yourself a "values voter" -- and what does that mean to you?

Laura Conaway

7:10 AM ET | 10-18-2007 | permalink | comments (13) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Can This Lyric Be Saved?

Filed under: Sound Off

Walking on the moon, June, spoon.

Cesar Rangel/AFP/Getty Images

Music critic Jon Dolan went to town this morning on Sting, who topped the list of Blender's 40 worst lyricists of all time.

Sting dragged home the big trophy, courtesy of songs like "Don't Stand So Close to Me" -- which Dolan said seemed crafted for Google Alerts. But Luke Burbank had a bigger problem with Sting's work, particularly with the ballad "Fields of Gold."

After the bump, a snippet of Sting at his putative worst, and a challenge to you, dear reader.

Continue reading "Open Thread: Can This Lyric Be Saved?" »

Laura Conaway

9:10 AM ET | 10-17-2007 | permalink | comments (48) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Obama Faces Internet Rumor

Filed under: Sound Off

Barack Obama prays at a Los Angeles church in April.

Ann Johansson/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is the target of an e-mail smear campaign, reports Jim VandeHei on this morning's show. The unsourced e-mails allege that Obama has ties to a radical Muslim congregation and that his membership in a Christian church is a front.

Listening to VandeHei's report, I couldn't help flashing back to this quote from yesterday's New York Times. Katharine Q. Seelye asked African-American women in a South Carolina beauty parlor for their thoughts on a possible Obama presidency. One of them said:

"I fear that they just would kill him, that he wouldn't even have a chance."

Bonus: Untraceable e-mails spread Obama rumor.

Laura Conaway

1:54 PM ET | 10-15-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Anyone Else Think Ron Paul Won?

Filed under: Sound Off

We trucked in a fine, fine political analyst to pick apart Tuesday's GOP presidential debate. MSNBC's David Shuster pronounced rookie debater Fred Thompson "a little bit disjointed."

Alison Stewart gave her award for best soundbite to Ron Paul. The fundraising phenom jumped all over Mitt Romney for saying lawyers could decide whether President Bush needed Congressional approval to take military action against Iran:

"This idea of going and talking to attorneys totally baffles me. Why don't we just open up the Constitution and read it?"

Don't make us read your minds. Tell us what you thought of the debate and/or today's show.

Laura Conaway

8:59 AM ET | 10-10-2007 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Clinton Stays in Michigan Primary

Filed under: Sound Off

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich joined four other Democratic contenders in dropping out of the party's Michigan primary. National Democratic leadership weren't happy that the state had bumped its primary up to Jan. 15, ahead of traditional early-goers Iowa and New Hampshire. Yesterday was the deadline for taking your name off the ballot—Kucinich was joined in doing that by Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, and Joe Biden.

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton stayed in, along with Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd. From the Boston Globe:

The decisions serve political purposes for many of the candidates. Clinton, who has been well ahead in the polls in Michigan, may end up with a strong showing that gives momentum to her campaign, even if the DNC follows through on its threat to refuse to seat convention delegates.

The other candidates, meanwhile, can avoid the potential embarrassment of a poor showing in Michigan, while appeasing officials from New Hampshire and Iowa who are angry about Michigan's move to mid-January.

Laura Conaway

6:07 AM ET | 10-10-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Office Playpen? Comment on the BPP, 10.08.07

Filed under: Sound Off

You asked for it. And sometimes, you use it. Here again is the daily open thread, where you can say pretty much whatever you like about today's Bryant Park Project.

When we're not brokering peace in the office playpen, we'll check back for your remarks.

Laura Conaway

8:44 AM ET | 10- 8-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Sound Off on the BPP, 10.04.07

Filed under: Sound Off

We covered the world, from the Soviet space program to the American 1950s, with a stop for Charlton Heston's birthday. And now it's your turn.

Got something to say about today's edition of the Bryant Park Project? You know what to do.

Laura Conaway

5:24 AM ET | 10- 4-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Sound Off on the BPP, 10.03.07

Filed under: Sound Off

Who else brings you David Remnick and Ben Harper in the same cup of coffee?

If you've got something to say about to say about Wednesday's edition of The Bryant Park Project, turn it loose. We're ready.

Laura Conaway

5:57 AM ET | 10- 3-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Sound Off on the BPP, 10.02.07

Filed under: Sound Off

Gentle reader writes to say:

"A quick request: Could you drop a daily stub of a blog for discussion of the day's show?"

Yes, we could. And here it is, the first open thread for you to take today's edition of The Bryant Park Project to town, to task, to pieces.

I'll start: Joe Palca's report on the E. coli panic being perhaps overblown made me want to head for a vegan dosa cart.

Anybody else want to sound off?

Laura Conaway

12:07 PM ET | 10- 2-2007 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post